Man Stabbed At Haunted House After Friend Mistakes Knife For Prop

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CBS Local) — A night of Halloween fun for a group of friends in Tennessee turned into a real horror scene when a man was stabbed by a friend who thought she’d been given a prop knife.

James “Jay” Yochim, 29, and three friends on Friday night visited Nashville Nightmare, a popular Halloween attraction in Madison, a suburban neighborhood of northeast Nashville.

The group was laughing and joking with character actors in a courtyard space when a woman in the group, identified by WZTV as Tawnya Greenfield, says she was approached by someone she thought was a character.

Greenfield says she was unknowingly given a real knife and encouraged her to stab Yochim with it as retribution for a teasing joke. When Yochim looked down, he saw blood pouring from a knife wound to his left arm.

“His arm was gushing blood like something out of a horror scene,” Greenfield said.

Yochim was rushed by ambulance to a nearby emergency room suffering a “severe laceration.” The wound required nine stitches.

“We believe that an employee was involved in some way, and he has been placed on leave until we can determine his involvement,” Nashville Nightmare said in a statement. “We are going over all of our safety protocols with all of our staff again, as the safety and security of all of our patrons is always our main concern.”

No charges have been filed.

Yochim says he still loves visiting haunted houses.

“Halloween is, ask any of my friends, my favorite time of year,” he told The Tennessean. “I go all out for decorating. I watch a horror movie every day. I get really excited about going to haunted houses.”